Get in the Halloween spirit with a monster list of events in and near Wichita

There are plenty of things happening in October to help you get into the Halloween spirit, from glowing dinosaurs, a headless horseman, flashlight tours among mummies, a melodrama, multiple horror movies, cult classics like “Hocus Pocus” and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” (It’s a half-century old!) to safe alternatives for collecting candy.

Here is a list of area events, attractions and activities to fit every level of thrill seeker, from kids to adults.

All ages and family-friendly

Botanica, 701 N. Amidon, has brought back BOOtanica this year as a three-weekend fall festival in October. Hours are 5-10 p.m. Fridays and 2-10 p.m. Saturdays from Oct. 11 to 25. Activities include axe throwing, pumpkin carving, trick or treating, face painting, strolling through scarecrows and spooky lighted trees, contest showdowns and a variety of entertainment. Local food trucks will also be on site.

Every night from 6-10 during BOOtanica, Flying Pig Improv will showcase spooky fun in the Haunted Shakespeare Garden. Other nightly entertainment from 7-10 includes western dancing, aerial acrobatics, a DJ Carbon show and live, local bands. The lineup can be found online.

Advance registration is underway for the limited spots available for those who want to enter the themed “Saturday Showdowns” at 4 p.m., the spooky pooch parade Oct. 11, the frightful fashion show Oct. 18 and the minute-to-win-it contest Oct. 25.

Tickets, available online, are $16 for nonmembers ages 12 and older with a $2 discount for members, $10 for ages 3-11, free for kids 2 and under. More info: 316-264-0448, botanica.org/bootanica/

Boofest is back at Exploration Place, 300 N. McLean Blvd, and is happening this year from 6 to 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, Oct. 18, 19, 26 and 27. The event features candy stations, crafts, a cookie walk and costumes, which are encouraged, and some fun, weird science. Boofest is a separately ticketed event and not included in admission. Cost: $12 adults, $10 children and seniors, $8 members, free kids 2 and under. More info: 316-660-0600, exploration.org

The more than 40 true-to-size dinosaur replicas have a special spectral glow during the annual Dinosaurs after Dark nights at Field Station Dinosaurs, 2999 N. Rock Road, Derby. The event happens from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, Oct. 17, 18, 24 and 25. Billed as “spooky not scary,” this event doesn’t have jumping scares or loud sounds. Along with exploring the 10-acre trail among the lighted dinos, other activities include a fossil dig site, Jurassic golf, face painting and games. Tickets: $15 ages 2 and up, $10 for members, sales end at 8:30 p.m. More info: kansasdinos.com/dinosaurs-after-dark

Expect history and a bit of haunting during the annual Hay, Hooves and Halloween at Old Cowtown Museum from 2 to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 18 and 19. Visitors can witness gunfights among zombie cowboys, see a headless horseman like the character from “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” roaming the streets, and collect candy at various trick-or-treat stations.. They can also listen to stories about the ghosts that reportedly haunt some of the museum’s historic buildings, like the 8-year-old daughter of Marshall Murdock, The Wichita Eagle founder, who died in the family home that was moved to the museum in 1978. Admission is $7, $2 for members, free for kids 4 and younger. Advance tickets are available online at bit.ly/hayhooves2025, or at the door. More info: 316-350-3323, facebook.com/OldCowtownMuseum/events

Check out mummies and more during Twilight Tales and other October events at the Museum of World Treasures, 835 E. First St. Docents will lead flashlight tours and tell stories during Twilight Tales, which happens 6-9 p.m. every Friday (except Oct. 24) and Saturday in October. The first 90 minutes will feature family-friendly programming, while 18-and-older tours are offered starting at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 per person, $8 for members.

Spooky Night of Treasures happens from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24, and features live performers doing historical hauntings among the exhibits. The fundraiser event is suitable for teens with parental discretion and supervision. Adult beverages are available for those 21 and older, so bring an ID. Tickets, which are sold online only, cost $50 through Oct. 12; $55 starting Oct. 16.

The museum’s three-hour Kids Halloween event, geared toward middle-schoolers and younger, starts at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29. Activities include trick-or-treating, craftmaking and ghost hunting throughout the museum. Admission: $7, free for kids ages 3 and younger and members.

More info: 316-263-1311, worldtreasures.org

Halloween will be in the air during Broomsticks and Biplanes at the Kansas Aviation Museum, 3550 S. George Washington Blvd., from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 26. Reduced admission this year: $5 per person, free for members. Activities include trick or treating on planes, a broomstick maze, a magic show, crafts, a costume contest and a kid-friendly haunted house. Admission is $5 per person, free for members. More info: 316-683-9242, kansasaviationmuseum.org

During the Wichita Riding Academy’s Halloween Spooktacular from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, visitors can ride ponies and pet animals, including mini horses and donkeys, a micro cow and fainting goats. The academy is at 10727 E. 39th St. S. in Derby. Admission is $5 for kids ages 3 and older; free for parents and children under 3. Pony or horse rides are $5 extra. More info: 316-651-0876, facebook.com/wichitaridingacademy

Movie nights

Local filmmaker Leif Jonker, who promotes and organizes horror film screenings through an initiative called Wichita Big Screen, has organized two horror movie festivals for October. There will be one family-friendly option among the festival screenings.

During Fright Fest at the Starlite Drive-In, at least two scary movies will be shown on each weekend in October. On Friday and Saturday, Oct. 3 and 4, “Beetlejuice” and “The Corpse Bride” will be shown on one of the Starlite’s screens as a family-friendly option; “Scream” and “Scary Movie” will be shown on its second screen. All other Fright Fest nights — Oct. 10, 11, 19 and 26 — will have double features on a single screen. Those movies include “Leatherhead,” “Nightmare on Elm Street” and “The Lost Boys.” Tickets are $10 for a single admission or $20 per carload. The movies start around dusk.

The 10th annual October at the Old Town Horror Movie Festival consists of double-feature screenings of classic horror films at 7:30 p.m. every Wednesday in October at the Boulevard Theatres in Old Town. Jonker has organized the screenings by themes, like Ultra Cheesy 1980s Monster Movies on Oct. 8 when “The Deadly Spawn” and “Q: The Winged Serpent” will be shown, and director Frank Henenlotter’s Insane NYC Night on Oct. 22 featuring “Frankenhooker” and “Basket Case.” Admission is $15.

For more information on the festivals and other future horror movie screenings, visit the Wichita Big Screen’s Facebook page at facebook.com/groups/655567874518076

The final two screenings of Exploration Place’s Friday night outdoor movie series, Riverflix, are “Hocus Pocus” Oct. 10 and “The Nightmare Before Christmas” Oct. 17. Free. Food trucks and seating in the Wichita Foundation Amphitheater are available at 6 p.m.; movies start at sunset. More info: More info: 316-660-0600, exploration.org

The Orpheum Theatre is hosting a showing of “The Shining” as part of its movie anniversary series at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16, at Century II’s Mary Jane Teall Theater, the film series’ interim home while the Orpheum undergoes renovations. Stanley Kubrick’s movie adaptation of Stephen King’s horror novel of madness, memory and violence was released 45 years ago. It stars Jack Nickolson and Shelly Duvall as a couple who move to a hotel in the Rocky Mountains with their young son and where Nicholson’s character goes insane because of the hotel’s malevolent energy. Admission is $11.04 for students, seniors and military; doors open at 6 p.m. More info: wichitaorpheum.com

Half a century since its release, the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” is still doing its traditional time warp in October with showings in two area theaters.

The Augusta Historic Theatre, a restored 1930s-era theater in downtown Augusta, will screen the cult classic at 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18. Tickets, which include a prop bag while supplies last, are $20 in advance online until 9 p.m. Oct. 17 and $25 at the box office. More info: augustaartscouncilks.org/coming-attractions-1

The Orpheum Theatre is showing the movie twice on Friday, Oct. 24, in the Mary Jane Teall Theater. The 8 p.m. show is for all ages, but anyone under 17 must be accompanied by an adult, while the 11:59 p.m. show is for adults 21 and older. Costumes are encouraged. Admission is $20.20 with $7.08 for prop-bag add-ons. Doors open an hour before. More info: wichitaorpheum.com/events

Live shows

“Frank Einstein,” Mosley Street Melodrama, 234 N. Mosley, performances Friday and Saturday nights and Saturday matinees through Nov 1. Set in Transylvania, Kansas, this is a parody of horror tropes, pop culture and pun-filled comedy featuring egotistical scientists Drs. Frank and Stein, their assistant Elvira, lab visitors Dick, Jane and Humpty and a mystery brain bought on eBay. It will be followed by the “Run, Run Away” musical comedy revue. Tickets: Dinner or brunch and show tickets start at $41, and show-only tickets start at $30. Reservations: 316-263-0222 or mosleystreet.com

“The Rocky Horror Show,” Roxy’s Downtown,415 ½ E. Douglas, 7:30 p.m. nightly performances start Friday, Oct. 10, and will continue Thursdays-Saturdays through Nov. 10. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., patrons must be seated 15 minutes before curtain time. The live theater production stars Dr. Frank-n-Furter, sweethearts Brad and Janet and other characters from the movie that this show is based on. Tickets are $42. Reservations: 316-265-4400, roxysdowntown.com

“Misery,” Wichita Community Theatre, 258 N. Fountain, 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sunday matinees Oct. 16-26. In “Misery,” based on the eponymous Stephen King novel, romance novelist Paul Sheldon is rescued by Anne Wilkes, his self-proclaimed No. 1 fan, who forces him to write a new novel like his life depends on it. Tickets: $20 with $2 discounts for students, seniors and military for Friday-Sunday performances, $16 for all seats on Thursdays. 24-hour reservation line: 316-686-1282. More info: wichitact.org/misery

“Dracula,” Century II Concert Hall, 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Oct. 16-17. Ballet Wichita, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, is doing live performances of Bram Stoker’s legendary vampire tale of danger and desire. The production is rated PG-13 because of themes of seduction and violence. Audience members are encouraged to dress in spooky gothic attire or even Halloween costumes. Tickets range from $30-45. More info: https://balletwichita.com/performances/

“Click Clack Boo, A Tricky Treat,” Wichita Children’s Theatre & Dance Center, 201 S. Lulu. 10 a.m. and noon Thursday-Saturday, Oct. 23-25. An annual production, the musical comedy is about farm animals that need to convince Farmer Brown that a Halloween party will be more fun than fright. Tickets are $9 for morning performances and $11, which includes pizza, for the noon performances. More info: 316-262-2292, wctdc.org/upcoming-shows

“Zombie Prom,” Heather Muller Black Box Theatre, Wichita Children’s Theatre & Dance Center, 201 S. Lulu. 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 25 and 26. Performed by actors ages 12 and older, this musical is set in a 1950s high school and follows a rebel student and his high school sweetheart who are challenged by the school’s strict rules. Tickets are $10 general admission and $15 reserved seating. More info: More info: 316-262-2292, wctdc.org/upcoming-shows

Candlelight: A Haunted Evening of Halloween Classics is back at the Kansas Aviation Museum for performances at 6:30 and 8:45 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24, and 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30. Performed by the Listeso String Quartet, the tentative program includes several theme songs from well-known movies, including “Beetlejuice,” “Psycho, “Ghostbusters” and “The Addams Family,” along with a few other numbers, including Michael Jackson’s “Thriller. The concerts are suitable for ages 8 and older. Tickets range from $28 to $75 and can be purchased at feverup.com/m/136587

Haunted happenings

Klausmeyer Farm Haunted Package, 8135 S. 119th St. West, Clearwater, 7- 10 p.m. Saturdays, Oct. 4, 11, 18 and 25. A new feature this year is a haunted cemetery, which visitors will need to go through to reach the farm’s Barn of Fear. Other activities include zombie paintball, where participants ride a trailer and are chased by zombies, and a haunted maze. Admission: $5 each for haunted barn and target blaster activities; $7 each for haunted maze and flashlight maze; $20 for zombie paintball, which includes 100 paintballs. Timed tickets for zombie paintball must be purchased in advance. More info: 316-706-5391, klausmeyerdairyfarms.ticketspice.com/zombie-paintball

Field of Screams & Clown Town, Prairie Pines, 4055 N. Tyler Rd., Maize, Friday and Saturday nights, now through Nov. 1, also open Sundays and Thursdays starting Oct. 12. Gates open at 7 p.m., with the attraction opening at dusk. The storyline behind Field of Streams is the Spurlock family, a cult-like group suspected of murdering locals, who return every fall to their land, turning it into a field of screams. In another area called Clown Town, creepy clowns roam. The escape rooms are undergoing changes and will be closed this season. All tickets must be purchased for timed slots at scaryprairiepines.com. Admission: $30 for Fridays and Saturdays, $25 for Thursdays and Sundays. Not recommended for children younger than 8. Weather-delay hotline: 316-303-2037.

The Haunt at Walters, 10001 NW U.S. 77 near El Dorado, 7:30-11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays until the end of October. The Haunted Cannery at Walters Farm has vanished, and The Haunt at Walters, featuring two haunted barns, is now the place for screams and scares. The attraction is suitable for ages 12 and older. Tickets are $31.20 for general admission, $46.20 for fast-pass tickets to skip to the front of the line. Buy them in advance online at thewaltersfarm.com/haunt/

Wicked Island, 3022 S. McLean, 8 p.m.- midnight, Fridays and Saturdays through Nov. 1 (weather permitting). Ticket sales start at 7:30 p.m., and park gates close at 11:30 p.m. For years, the wooded island in O.J. Watson Park has been turned into a spooky, sinister attraction. Admission: $30 for adults and $25 for children 12 and under (must be accompanied by an adult) for timed tickets purchased online. At-the-gate admission is $20 for adults, $15 for children 12 and under, but expect wait times, especially closer to Halloween. A $40 fast pass, which can be purchased online or at the gate, is also available. More info: wickedwoodswichita.com

13 Sinister Souls Haunted House, 527 E. Harry, 7-midnight Fridays and Saturdays, Oct. 10-Nov. 1. The website for this indoor attraction warns that visitors will need to make their way through 10,000 square feet of “endless gore,” with the unleashing of damned souls trapped in a book. Limited tickets available for timed admissions at 7 and 8:30 p.m. Tickets: $27 for ages 13 and older, $17 for ages 6-12. More info: 13sinistersouls.com

Warehouse of Terrors, 1640 W. 140th Ave. N., Milton. 7-11 p.m. Saturdays through Oct. 25. Supernatural entities, creepy dolls and other creepy characters have been taking over an old furniture store every fall for more than 15 years. Not recommended for children 8 and younger. Admission: $35, $15 for students. More info: 316-371-4532, facebook.com/p/WAREHOUSE-of-TERRORS-100070027363670/

The Labyrinth of Terror at Winfield Fairgrounds will not open this season, according to its Facebook page, as one of the owners is recovering from an accident.

Trick/Trunk or treat events

All listed events are free.

Friday, Oct. 17

6-8 p.m. Candy Crawl at Planeview Park, 2819 S. Fees St.

6-8 p.m. Howl-O-Ween Party, Linwood Recreation Center, 1901 S. Kansas, includes carnival games and a haunted room, for kids in fifth grade and younger

Saturday, Oct. 18

4-7 p.m. Rock Regional Hospital, 3251 N. Rock Rd., Derby

5-7 p.m. Empower Martial Arts, 6919 E. Harry, pre-registration required at WichitasbestTrunkorTreat.com

Sunday, Oct. 19

2-5 p.m. DeVorss Flanagan-Hunt, 201 S. Hydraulic

Thursday, Oct. 23

5-6:30 p.m. Trunk or Treat at Wichita Habitat for Humanity, 2220 N. Opportunity Dr.

Friday, Oct. 24

5-7 p.m. Park City Library, 2107 E. 61st St. North, Park City

Saturday, Oct. 25

10 a.m. Sensory-friendly Trick or Treat, Dove Estates, 1400 S. 183rd St. West; register to attend at forms.gle/jJ23Bdf7WDLCEgWK6

10 a.m.-noon Lowe’s Spooky Trick or Treat, 11959 E. Kellogg, with visits by the Sanderson Sisters and bunnies from Second Chance Rabbit Education & Rehabilitation

11 a.m.-1 p.m. Walser Auto, 1545 N. Greenwich

noon-4 p.m. Fall festival and craft fair with trunk or treat, Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 600 N. Greenwich

2-4 p.m. Boo at the Boathouse, 515 S. Wichita St.; register at tinyurl.com/4s6etwsp

2-4 p.m. Treats not Tricks, Countryside Christian Church, 1919 S. Rock Rd.

5-7 p.m. Trunk or Treat Spooktacular, Sedgwick County Park, 6501 W. 21st St.

5-7 p.m. Colonial Heights Assembly of God, 5200 S. Broadway, includes hayrack rides and bouncy house

6 p.m. Heroween at West Wichita Family Physicians, 8200 W. Central

6-8 p.m. Encounter Church, 928 W. 31st St. South

Sunday, Oct. 26

6 p.m. Trunk or Treat Car Show, Bubba’s 33, 412 S. Towne East Mall Dr.

Wednesday, Oct. 29

6-7:30 p.m. West Heights United Methodist Church, 745 N. Westlink

Friday, Oct. 31

4-6 p.m. Witchy Sisters at Andover Central Park, 1607 E. Central, Andover

4 p.m. Trick or Treat on Main Street, Pride Park, 102 N. Main, Haysville

6-8 p.m. trunk or treat at the following Don Hattan dealerships: 6000 Hattan Dr., 7800 W. Kellogg Dr. and 2518 N. Rock Rd. in Derby